Thanks for Nothing, John F. Kennedy: Friday's Rant

There's something about Cuba that has always captured my imagination. I'm not really sure where it comes from. One of my favorite books is The Old Man and the Sea, so maybe that's it. A few years ago, quite a few in fact, my friend "Korey" gave me a Cuban cigar for my birthday (I'll change his name to protect his innocence) - a wonderful Romeo y Julietta, to be more precise. Like some greedy old miser, I quickly tucked it away in the little humidor that I keep stashed in the basement. "We'll let this baby cook for a few years...and get good and juicy," I thought to myself.

Well, a few weeks ago, on a beautiful Iowa afternoon, I smoked it. Let me tell you something - it was prime. To quote Rachel Ray, "Yum-O."

As I sat their in my Adirondack chair, ever-so-gently flicking the ashes into Anne's flower pot, watching the aromatic, second-hand cigar smoke slowly waft through the air - minding my own business (as usual), it occured to me...technically, I was doing something quite illegal. Smoking a cigar!

"What a bunch of crap," I thought to myself. "Thanks for nothing, John F. Kennedy."

As you may know, there is still an embargo against Cuba. We can't buy, sell, trade, visit - pretty much anything with this tiny island nation, ironically enough, shaped like a cigar.

Don't get me wrong, there was a time, I guess, when this embargo was useful. It was the cold war, the country (Cuba, I mean) was run by evil communist totalitarian dictators and we have our national pride. Thousands upon thousands of Cubans have escaped to America and to this day are separated from their families. This is not their fault - it's not our fault - it's the fault of the evil communist totalitarian dictators that run Cuba.

But it's been it's been nearly 50 stinkin' years...the time has come to give it a rest and let ordinary, average, harmless Americans like me legally smoke a Cuban cigar. I'm not hurtin' anybody. I'm not saving the world. America is just as safe. Life will go on. Trust me.

Friends and neighbors, is it really too much to ask? What's the serious threat that Cuba poses to America? While I can certainly understand the justified hatred that many - perhaps most - Cuban-Americans have for the communist dictators that run their native country, the time has come to legalize Cuban cigars. Don't get me wrong - this isn't the biggest issue - but it's a "quality of life" issue that's important to me and millions like me. Think about it - you know deep down, you agree.

Breathe in, breathe out...this week's rant is over.